The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Joint Committee has approved the City Region Deal Annual Report for 2025/26, marking the seventh year of delivery on the £1.7 billion regional investment programme.

Read the Interactive Report | Download Accessible PDF Version

The report, approved last Friday, sets out progress across the Deal's portfolio of projects and provides a transparent account of spending, milestones and outcomes for communities across the region. It is available to read online in an interactive format, alongside a downloadable accessible PDF version.

Seven Years of Impact

Since the City Region Deal was signed in 2018, the programme has delivered significant economic benefit across Edinburgh and South East Scotland. Headline figures include:

£3.9 billion added to the Scottish and UK economy in Gross Value Added
34,000 jobs supported
£1.1 billion in additional funding leveraged

The report brings together a full programme overview, a detailed financial statement for 2025-26, progress summaries for every project in the portfolio, and an outline of milestones expected over the year ahead. It is also accompanied by six new case study videos featuring the people and communities benefiting directly from the Deal's investment.

Major Milestones in 2025/26

The past year saw a number of significant developments across the programme:

November 2025: The Edinburgh Innovation Hub was occupied, opening its doors to businesses and innovators.
December 2025: The Joint Committee approved the Final Business Case for the Granton Waterfront Regeneration project.
December 2025: Construction broke ground at the Dunard Centre.
March 2026: The Edinburgh Futures Institute received the Civic Trust's Special Award for Reuse and Adaptation.
March 2026: The Data-Driven Innovation programme won Collaborative Initiative of the Year at the Institute of Economic Development's Annual Awards.
March 2026: The IRES 27+ campaign launched.
July 2026: Construction of the Phase 2 building at Borders Innovation Park was completed.

Looking Ahead to 2026/27

The report also sets out a number of milestones the programme is working towards over the coming year, including:

October 2026 – Delivery of the Scottish Pathways to Construction programme across the region, as part of the IRES Integrated Employer Engagement programme.
December 2026: The Strategic Outline Business Case for the Tweedbank Strategic Site.
December 2026: Completion of construction at Tranche 2 of the Levenmouth Business Units (Phase 2) and Tranche 2 of the John Smith Business Park Units project.
March 2027: The Full Business Case for Borders Innovation Park Phase 3, alongside occupancy of its Phase 2 building.
Summer 2027: Completion of the Final Business Case for the West Edinburgh Transport Improvement Programme.

Case Study Videos Coming Soon

Starting next week, a series of weekly case study videos will be released drawn from the annual report, each telling the real story of how the programme's investments are making a difference to people and communities across the region.

About the City Region Deal

The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal is a 15-year, £1.7 billion investment programme spanning five strategic themes, with £600 million contributed equally by the Scottish and UK Governments. The Deal brings together local authorities, universities and partners from across the region to build a more productive and equitable future for Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

Read the Interactive Report | Download Accessible PDF Version